 | Poems on Several Occasions |  |
To Cleon, on his Arrival at his Villa.
To welcome thee a Muse unknown aspires,
Unequal far to what the Theme requires;
Yet humbly hopes to vindicate her Choice,
Who sings in Concert with the public Voice,
A Patriot's Deeds such high Encomiums claim,
As Cleon merits from the Mouth of Fame,
Who spreads his Bounty with unsparing Hand,
And Industry excites o'er all the Land;
His Canvass Wings each distant Coast explore,
And waft the Wealth of either India's Shore,
Which flows enliv'ning in his Country's Veins,
Still more the Public's, than his private Gains:
So runs the sanguine Current through the Heart,
Whilst ev'ry Member shares a wholesome Part.
Would they who swell in higher Rank and Place
(The Boast of Vice, the Blush of Human Race)
With virtuous Emulation wisely see
A People's Parent, and that Parent thee;
No more should Luxury licentious roam,
To waste abroad the Wealth we want at home;
No more should Wretchedness and Want prevail,
Nor Hunger tempt the starving Hand to steal;
Nor should Corruption with her gilded Claws,
Debauch our Senates, and debase the Laws;
Each wealthy Chief would then a Patriot be;
Who for his Country lives, must live like thee.
Unequal far to what the Theme requires;
Yet humbly hopes to vindicate her Choice,
Who sings in Concert with the public Voice,
A Patriot's Deeds such high Encomiums claim,
As Cleon merits from the Mouth of Fame,
Who spreads his Bounty with unsparing Hand,
And Industry excites o'er all the Land;
His Canvass Wings each distant Coast explore,
And waft the Wealth of either India's Shore,
Which flows enliv'ning in his Country's Veins,
Still more the Public's, than his private Gains:
79
Whilst ev'ry Member shares a wholesome Part.
Would they who swell in higher Rank and Place
(The Boast of Vice, the Blush of Human Race)
With virtuous Emulation wisely see
A People's Parent, and that Parent thee;
No more should Luxury licentious roam,
To waste abroad the Wealth we want at home;
No more should Wretchedness and Want prevail,
Nor Hunger tempt the starving Hand to steal;
Nor should Corruption with her gilded Claws,
Debauch our Senates, and debase the Laws;
Each wealthy Chief would then a Patriot be;
Who for his Country lives, must live like thee.
But see where Nature, with distinguish'd Grace,
Adorns the Prospect of this lovely Place;
The Birds harmonious chaunt on every Tree
To welcome to their Groves the Spring and thee;
There waving Woods on lofty Summits grow,
Here Silver Lakes reflect their Shades below:
The charming Landskip glads the Gazer's Heart,
And Nature's Hand assists the Hand of Art;
Yet Art alone behold triumphant smile,
With all her Pomp in yonder sacred Pile,
Whose solemn Brow the stedfast Eye commands,
The pious Labour of religious Hands,
Which rais'd to Heav'n in these degen'rate Days,
It's Founder's Faith and Gratitude displays;
And shall inform remotest Years to come,
When Brunswick reign'd, and Cleon rear'd the Dome.
A noble Task lies immature behind,
Tho' oft revolv'd within your gen'rous Mind;
Yet still in Embrio waits your pow'rful Hand,
To form the Symmetry, and bid it stand.
When Arches bend and swelling Columns rise,
The stately Edifice shall strike our Eyes
With simple Majesty and solemn Stile,
At once to deck and dignify the Pile.
The noble Mass magnificent shall grow,
Not vainly high, nor yet ignobly low;
Shall shine a Medium clear of each Excess,
It's Master's Temper, and his Worth express;
Shall there erect in lasting Grandeur be
By Judges honour'd, tho' 'twas sung by me.
Adorns the Prospect of this lovely Place;
The Birds harmonious chaunt on every Tree
To welcome to their Groves the Spring and thee;
There waving Woods on lofty Summits grow,
Here Silver Lakes reflect their Shades below:
The charming Landskip glads the Gazer's Heart,
And Nature's Hand assists the Hand of Art;
Yet Art alone behold triumphant smile,
With all her Pomp in yonder sacred Pile,
Whose solemn Brow the stedfast Eye commands,
The pious Labour of religious Hands,
Which rais'd to Heav'n in these degen'rate Days,
It's Founder's Faith and Gratitude displays;
And shall inform remotest Years to come,
When Brunswick reign'd, and Cleon rear'd the Dome.
80
Tho' oft revolv'd within your gen'rous Mind;
Yet still in Embrio waits your pow'rful Hand,
To form the Symmetry, and bid it stand.
When Arches bend and swelling Columns rise,
The stately Edifice shall strike our Eyes
With simple Majesty and solemn Stile,
At once to deck and dignify the Pile.
The noble Mass magnificent shall grow,
Not vainly high, nor yet ignobly low;
Shall shine a Medium clear of each Excess,
It's Master's Temper, and his Worth express;
Shall there erect in lasting Grandeur be
By Judges honour'd, tho' 'twas sung by me.
| Poems on Several Occasions | |